Friends in Udaipur

Udaipur is a jewel in the Rajastani dessert. Unlike any other Indian city, and a world apart from hectic and smog-ridden nearby attractions like Delhi, Jaipur & Agra.

The surrounding hillsides, cliffs, traditional artisans, palaces and cultural pride can easily cement its place amongst premiere international destinations. However, the charm, honesty and fellowship of it people is our reason why it ranks on the top of our list, so far...

Udaipur was full of such wonderful and helpful people. We wanted to highlight some of our favorites so that if you ever go you’ll know who/ask to look for J

First is Thomas the dog which Animal Aid (more about this group later) rescued when he was ill and returned him to the street which was his home. Twice, city workers picked him up and dumped him with other dogs on the outskirts of the city. Thomas sniffed his way back to home over 50 kms away, he now guards with honor and friendliness.

Aditya or Mr. A (lakecity@hotmail.com) who was our wonderful travel agent has a shop just down from Thomas’s abode the Mehwar Haveli, in Lal Ghat. He goes above and beyond for all his clients and takes pride in making their journey pleasant and enjoyable (often a difficult task when traveling overland in this country) . You’ll see him 9am-8pm at the Lake City Travel store , often playing an eclectic mix of tunes and helping many a traveler with a smile.

Radha is a sweet street kid who asked us each day for biscuits. Each time we saw her we were saddened to see that her fate didn’t look too bright… we did what we could to make her day and we’ll sadly miss her hi pitched “HELOOO” whenever she saw someone walk by.

In front of the Jug Mandhir is Kelli. She is a kind and enterprising lady who sells fruit on the side of the road. She has 5 kids each of whom have kids of their own and those kids have kids as well! This Great Grandmother is also a great entrepreneur, who won our repeat business throughout our stay. Kelli is 70 years old but has the vitality of someone half her age.

Speaking of fruits no destination to India is complete without indulging in fresh juices. Now fresh means, in season, just picked, peeled in from of you and juice within arms reach. There are several road side stand (a.k.a. ras wallas) offering sugar cane, coconut, pineapple, carrot, apple juices just to name a few. Down the road from Jug Mandhir, Cheeku our favorite ras walla in Udaipur has been dishing out the sweet stuff for several years. Each day he served us fresh orange’n’pineapple juice along with a kind smile and great advice on the city. It was a sweet start & finish to our adventurous days.

Rounding out our experience was our wonderful hotel called Mewar Haveli. They people there are super nice, rooms are reasonably priced and immaculately clean. The rooftop restaurant shouldn’t be missed, especially during sunset. It’s spectacular view of Lake Pichola & the Udaipur’s three palaces proves why this remarkable city has been described by many as the world’s most romantic vacation destination.

We will miss our new friends, however hope to be back before we leave India. More to come soon from the sandy shore of Goa.